Qasr el Yahud
| قصر اليهود | |
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 Shown within the West Bank
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| Alternate name | Al-Maghtas |
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| Location | Jericho Governorate, West Bank (claimed by State of Palestine) |
| Coordinates | 31°50′18″N 35°32′21″E / 31.838333°N 35.539167°E |
Qasr el Yahud (Arabic: قصر اليهود; also Kasser/Qasser al-Yahud/Yehud etc.; lit. "Castle of the Jews", Hebrew: קאסר אל יהוד) is the official name of a baptism site in the Jordan River Valley region of the West Bank in Israel. The site and facilities are administered by the Israeli Civil Administration and the Israeli Ministry of Tourism as part of an Israeli national park.
It is the western part of the traditional site of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17), in Arabic Al-Maghtas, a name which was historically used for the pilgrimage site on both sides of the river. It is also traditionally considered to be the place where the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, and Elijah the Prophet ascended to heaven.
The Arabic name of the baptism site is Al-Maghtas, an area stretching over both banks of the river. The Jordanian side uses the names Al-Maghtas, Bethany beyond the Jordan and Baptism(al) Site, while the western part is known as Qasr el-Yahud. The nearby Greek Orthodox Monastery of St John the Baptist has a castle-like appearance (thus qasr, "castle"), and tradition holds that the Israelites crossed the river at this spot (thus el-Yahud, "of the Jews").
Qasr el-Yahud is close to the ancient road and river ford connecting Jerusalem, via Jericho, to several Transjordanian biblical sites such as Madaba, Mount Nebo and the King's Highway. It is located in the West Bank, a little southeast from Jericho and is part of the Jericho Governorate of Palestine.
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